A Texas Historical Commission marker recognizing the encampment of federal troops in Nacogdoches shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto has been completed and installed in the parking lot across from Nacogdoches ISD’s Nettie Marshall facility.
The marker is set on the high ground where Nettie Marshall is located to the south and west of downtown Nacogdoches. That area served as campground for 335 federal troops from Oklahoma who were invited to the Republic in 1836.
Federal infantry and cavalry soldiers arrived in Nacogdoches in July 1836 to provide protection from the threat of attack by Mexican forces that might reorganize following San Jacinto and native Indians still in the region.
“After the victory at the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, Texans again feared potential hostility from Native Indians and a possible alliance between the Natives and Mexico,” the marker reads. “Because of this fear, David G. Burnett, the interim president of the Republic of Texas, invited Gen. Gaines to establish his headquarters at Nacogdoches.
“During their time in Nacogdoches, the army monitored the area, not finding any immediate serious threat.”
The troops remained in Nacogdoches until Dec. 18, 1836.
The Nettie Marshall campus located on Cox Street is one of the oldest facilities in Nacogdoches ISD. It currently houses the district’s Student Support Services.